


Oh Love, You Fool

by RueRambunctious



Series: Oh Love You Fool Universe [1]
Category: Elementary (TV), Kind Of - Fandom, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Ableist Language, Adorable Richard Brook, Childhood, Childhood Trauma, Christmas Crack, Coffee, Companionable Snark, Dammit Jim, Disability, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Faked Suicide, Grumpy Kitten, Healing, Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jim Is Good, Jim is Kind of Disabled For A While, Jim is a Little Shit, M/M, Manipulation, Matricide, Oblivious Jim, Past Child Abuse, Patricide, Post-Reichenbach, Protective Siblings, Reichenbach Angst, Reichenbach Falls, Reichenbach Feels, Reichenbach Fix-It, Siblings, Spanking, Swearing, Twincest (implied), Twins, minor smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 23:01:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8179073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RueRambunctious/pseuds/RueRambunctious
Summary: Blowing out his brains might have been the stupidest thing Jim Moriarty ever did, not because he didn't have grey matter to spare, but because it gives his siblings the chance to join forces with Sebastian against him.Post Reichenbach Falls, but Jim doesn't die.





	1. Chapter 1

Sebastian is superbly capable and can cope with many terrible things. But trying to scoop Jim's skull back off of the floor and discovering the fucking _psycho_ still has a weak heartbeat, well… that's more than a bit beyond what Sebastian is comfortable with.

It's mostly a blur when Sebastian lifts a bloody, shaking hand and makes a number of calls. Sorting things. Because that's what Jim owns him for.

Jim is cradled carefully into a private ambulance and Sebastian follows in a daze, filling in forms with fake names and paying off the right people.

And then Sebastian sits. Waits.

Checks Jim's emails, because obviously Jim would expect Sebastian to keep the underworld ticking over _even though he just blew his bloody brains out_.

Eventually the doctors reappear, all grim and quiet. Telling Sebastian how _lucky_ the patient is to be alive, but well… He might not… not ever… become more than a shell. Of the man he once was.

And they don't even realise they're talking about a genius. A criminal mastermind.

They just think… that expecting Jim to function at the level of an ordinary man… might now be a bit of a… reach.

Which Sebastian just isn't willing to believe, because they don't know _Jim_. They don't know the man's terrifying tenacity.

Freak recoveries do happen.

Jim has always been a freak.

Sebastian's primary phone -and Jim's- keep buzzing. The blond gives them cursory glances, but unless the business is urgent it can fucking wait.

Whoever Jim has saved in his phone as 'Smugface' seems pretty persistent.

Sebastian's brother also keeps calling. He'll have heard by now.

Sebastian cannot face that conversation yet. Far too bloody real. Best to just chew over the nonsense from the doctors and start looking into specialists.

Which would be bloody easier with a better signal in this damned old hospital.

A nurse pads over hesitantly, her gaze flitting over Sebastian nervously as though Jim isn't the most deadly creature in this hospital.

“Yes?” Sebastian prompts shortly.

She swallows and tilts her chin defiantly. “You… you can see him now.”

Sebastian feels some of the fight fall right out of him. “Right.” He steels his nerve and follows the woman.

Sebastian paces the private room, examining the graphs and numbers surrounding Jim. The beeping equipment.

Gestures tiredly that the nurse can leave them be.

Drops down into the chair beside Jim and holds in a noise like a sob or a scream that might never stop if he dares let it break out.

Eventually Sebastian rubs his face and sits up. It's difficult to actually look at Jim. Sebastian listens to the laboured, assisted breathing and swallows.

He crosses over to the foot of Jim's bed and sits on it carefully, kicking his shoes off and swinging his legs up. Pressing against Jim so that he feels safe.

If he feels anything at all right now.

Or ever again.

Sebastian listens to the breathing and the machines. Steady, regular noises. Whose pulse is so regular after being shot through the skull?

Maybe it's all the morphine.

Sebastian rests his chin on his knees and sleeps.

“Oh thank fuck, here he is.”

Sebastian startles, turning and reaching for his nearest holster as two figures burst into the room.

The shorter figure is a vision that makes Sebastian's breath catch in his throat.

The blond's gaze snaps back to the small man in the bed. Definitely Jim. Definitely.

Sebastian looks back at the newcomer. Jim's face. Not Jim's mannerisms, but could easily be a character Sebastian is unfamiliar with.

The short brunet blinks warily at Sebastian and darts to Jim's side. Breathing hitches.

His companion presses her lips together as she rakes in the sight of the man under the sheets, then her gaze snaps back to Sebastian's. The man on top of the sheets. It's almost surgical, the way she stares.

“Moran, yes?” she states. Her voice is strange. Glaringly American yet not… any specific state.

She narrows her eyes at Sebastian's silence and tucks some of her thick, caramel waves of hair behind her ear. “Has he not left you with a tongue in your mouth? Are you or are you not his Sebastian?”

Sebastian frowns. He certainly is _his_ Sebastian, but who are they? The blond asks as much, in a clipped gruff voice that evidently makes the could-be-Jim uncomfortable.

The woman sighs and gives Sebastian an annoyed, pitying look. “If you cannot see the family resemblance between those two then Jimmy has greatly exaggerated your meagre intelligence.”

Sebastian bites his lip, annoyed, but that certainly makes sense. Or at least, more sense than Jim having a body double walking around with his face.

Although that's not entirely outwith the sort of thing that the sick fuck would do.

Family though? It is positively weird to think Jim could have family. He's not even human. Some sick, twisted, intelligent alien creature.

Well not so intelligent that he didn't think it was a fucking mental idea to stick a gun down his throat, but what genius isn't unhinged?

“Sebastian,” the woman snaps. She glares at him chidingly, as though she is perfectly within her rights to be annoyed by Sebastian's drifting thoughts.

After the day he's had she should be pinning a medal on Sebastian's chest for not shooting _himself_ in the face.

“Yes, what?” Sebastian growls, and then he pauses. “Actually, how did you even know we'd be here?”

The woman places her hand on her hip, sighing like she is speaking to a slow, dull child. “Someone called Rinn answered my call and told me what was happening. I was already on my way.”

“Rinn's my brother,” Sebastian states slowly. That would explain the amount of missed calls.

“Jim's been acting weird for months,” the man beside hurt-Jim offers. “He totally stopped talking to us a few days ago so Jamie got on a plane.”

“Janey,” the woman corrects automatically. The short man rolls his eyes.

“It's weird that he hadn't spoken to you in days?” Sebastian asks, dubious. How can he never have been aware of these people?

“Well he's always weird,” the woman admits softly, licking her lips. “But there's- there's normal weird, and then there's worryingly weird.”

Her haughty, cross look has fallen almost completely from her face, exposing something soft and worried, very like the man who might be Jim's brother. Far too soft an expression to ever fit on Jim's face.

“He's never gone this far before,” she murmurs.

“Well he has,” Jim's brother states reasonably. “Just never… quite like this.”

“We were always _there_ ,” the woman groans. She pinches the bridge of her nose. “He's always had his clean-up crew.”

“He had Sebastian,” Jim's brother points. Reasonably, as if he knows the trust Jim places in the blond. It twists Sebastian's stomach.

“Yes, but did this have to be so bloody theatrical?” the woman hisses. “He can live without use of his wrists but his _brain_? I'm so cross right now.”

Jim's brother's lips curl a little. “He's not going to wake up if he knows you're cross with him.”

The woman glances across the paperwork graphing Jim's condition. “I don't think he's going to wake up anytime soon anyway.”

“Could be days, they said,” Sebastian murmurs.

The woman nods slowly. “That's alright, we've nowhere more important to be.” She melts into the chair, her bones sharp but limp as a dropped puppet. She glances up at Sebastian from under her thick hair. “I'm Janey, by the way,” she offers. “And that's Richie. If you didn't know.”

“He probably told Sebastian that you're Jamie,” Richie points out.

Janey rolls her eyes. “I haven't let anyone but the two of you call me that in years and I am not adapting just because Jim's… got a … live-in.”

Sebastian's expression twitches at that. “A live-in?”

She huffs. “Oh don't start. If you're as difficult with naming things as Jim is I'm going to have a migraine. I can feel it coming on.”

“I'm not difficult,” Sebastian says slowly.

Richie smiles at him. “You can't possibly be more difficult than Jim or Jamie.”

Sebastian chews his lip slowly. “So he's still difficult then? With his family?”

Richie's lips quirk. “Seeing as I've known Jimmy from the womb, I'd say you're the only other person who comes close to knowing how difficult the sod is.”

“Oh, well, fuck you then,” Janey mutters, sounding sulky although her eyes don't flash.

“Did you or did you not piss off to America without us?” Richie drawls, tilting his head in Janey's direction.

Janey not-quite-absently fingers the chain around her neck, which disappears under her clothing. “I think you both managed just fine when I was gone.”

“Easy for you to say; I still have to wear fake tan to go _swimming_ ,” Richie mutters.

Janey sneers at him. “You live in this dreary place. Why would you ever want to strip down to go _swimming_?”

Richie gives an almost shy, wicked little smirk that is the closest he has come to looking like Jim, and yet is still entirely _not Jim_. It's eerie. “Jimmy used to take me swimming. Remember?”

Janey laughs, and there is something dark and dangerous in her eyes. “Oh, _that_ ,” she says with amusement.

“Back when he actually included me in things,” Richie pouts, glancing at his brother sadly.

Janey reaches over and ruffles Richie's hair. “He's protective of you. He loves you.”

“I bloody miss him,” Richie grumbles.

Janey glances at the white-skinned mess under the hospital sheets. “I'm just glad we're not burying the fucking idiot.”

Richie sighs, brushes his fingers over Jim's cold ones. “Me too.”

“But I might kill him when he's better,” muses Janey.

Richie's lips twist. “Mm. Well get in line.”

Sebastian is getting distinctly uncomfortable about the way these strangers easily touch Jim when another doctor appears.

“Oh finally,” Janey states, standing and smoothing her clothing smartly. Her blouse is expensive and sheer, with a lace-trimmed silk camisole underneath. The fabric shifts and catches the ugly hospital lighting as she thrusts out her right arm, gripping the doctor's hand firmly.

“Good to see you,” she greets charmingly. “I'm the patient's sister and former guardian, Janey. This is his twin brother Richard, and his partner, Sebastian.”

Sebastian almost has palpitations when Janey casually calls him Jim's _partner_. He gets down from the bed quickly. Feeling ridiculous in his socks.

The doctor gives him an incredibly sympathetic look.

Janey fusses with the chain at the back of her neck for a second, unobserved, then smiles and places her manicured hand on the doctor's arm. “Shall we talk outside?” she asks brightly.

The doctor agrees and steps outside first. Janey tightly holds out something behind her back as she follows, which Richie quickly takes.

Sebastian gives him a perplexed look, but then the chain from Janey's neck is spilling from Richie's small, white fist and the brunet is pulling away a man's wedding band.

“Hand please, poppet,” Richie murmurs.

“What?” Sebastian protests, pulling his hands away.

“No one's looked at your hands yet, but there's no reason not to make things as easy as possible,” Richie explains quietly, making Sebastian lean in to properly hear.

“I don't understand,” Sebastian states.

Richie sighs pityingly. “I really hope it's the shock that makes you this stupid or the next few months are going to be dire.”

He snatches Sebastian's left hand -carefully- and gently slides the band over Sebastian's ring finger.

Sebastian shivers. Swallows and stares at the peculiar thing. “His partner,” Sebastian states dully.

“Well obviously, well done,” Richie mutters. He examines his own hands, which bear a number of nondescript rings. He pulls one off and slips it onto Jim's appropriate finger. 

It is a little too big, but anyone who notices is likely to presume that a man's weight drops with stress before he puts the barrel of a gun on his tongue.

“You have no idea what's happening, do you?” Richie comments, glancing at Sebastian's closelipped face thoughtfully.

Loathe to admit it, Sebastian scowls. It has more of an impact in Richie than it ever has on Jim, but if Richard has really grown up alongside Jim it's unsurprising that Sebastian's glower doesn't scare him all that much.

Richie pulls his phone out of his pocket, places it on a particular screen, and tosses it to Sebastian. “Here. Read that.”

'It's going to get messy, brother dear. Hope you've got nothing planned. Retirement's going to be a scream.'

Sebastian gives Richie a look then bows his head back over the glow of the small screen, reading backwards into the conversation. Jim doesn't appear to be very good at responding logically to Richie's messages, but that could be in jokes as much as rising mania.

Sebastian freezes over the phone.

'I miss you Jim.'  
'Don't worry, I'll have Basher cook this Christmas. We'll be together. Things are changing, I promise.'

Sebastian frowns, his eyes definitely not burning. Jim hadn't even invited him for Christmas dinner, but he had already told Richard Sebastian would be cooking it?

That was months away. He still though Sebastian would be there. Close.

What the hell had happened to make Jim do this instead?

“Are you alright?” Richie asks softly. Far softer than Jim can shape his own voice.

“Fine,” Sebastian grunts, although he bloody isn't.

Janey returns, sans doctor. She scrunches her hair in her fingers and sighs. Straightens her spine. “He's going to get the papers.”

She glances at Sebastian's hand. “Oh, good.”

“Still think it's in bad taste to use _that_ ,” Richie mutters, tossing his head at the ring. He returns his sister's chain.

“Can you think of a better talisman of Jim's ability to make things right?” Janey retorts in a clipped voice. She sighs. “Besides, I was not stopping to get a damn ring instead of coming straight here. Be grateful I bothered to stop and get you.”

Richie rolls his eyes dryly. _That_ is like Jim, and it freezes Sebastian's heart for a second.

This is too fucking weird to deal with. Fucking Jim and his fucking mental plans and inability to share any fucking, fucking, fucking details.

“Sebastian,” Janey intones.

The blond breaks from his thoughts and looks across. Grunts.

Janey curls her lip like Jim does when it seems Sebastian is being uncultured, but she doesn't look like she has a box cutter in her tight fitting trousers so Sebastian isn't quite as scared.

“Which apartment does Jim like best?” Janey asks.

Sebastian blinks. “What?”

Janey closes her eyes and breathes through her nose for a moment. She is definitely Jim's kin. “Jim will recover best in the place he feels most comfortable. He trusts you. You know which place is his favourite, correct?”

Sebastian chews his lip. Nods belligerently. 

“Are you going to tell us, or are you just going to write it on the forms yourself? _Can_ you write?” Janey asks dubiously.

Sebastian gives the supercilious bint a cool look. “Yes, I can fucking write.”

Janey gives him a look of rebuke. “Don't swear at me, dear. You might be Jimmy's darling but I do not have any issue with punishing you.”

Sebastian swallows and clenches his fists, wondering how much trouble he'll get into if he hits Jim's sister.

If Jim ever wakes up. That thought drains the fight right out of Sebastian.

Richie gives Sebastian and Janey mildly worried looks. He hovers beside his twin.

Janey sighs, reading the distress behind Sebastian's eyes. “I'm sorry, you're blatantly stressed too, aren't you?” she comments. “I'm being terribly selfish; I'm sorry. Come here.”

Sebastian freezes completely as Jim's sister pulls him into a hug. “Tell me if I railroad you too much,” Janey continues. “I'm not very good with people.”

“You can't be bothered with people,” Richie responds.

Janey looks at him over her shoulder. “Well why should I? The only people I give a damn about are in this room.”

“She's including you, you know,” Richie tells Sebastian, who breathes out in relief as Janey moves away.

“Me?” Sebastian frowns.

“Well obviously, dear,” Janey states, rolling her eyes theatrically as though he's pretending to be stupid. “You're indispensable to my little brother so you're important to me.”

Sebastian raises his brow at her. “You just threatened to punish me.”

She grins at him in wicked amusement. “Yes darling, but we all know that as you're Jimmy's you are _more_ than used to that, aren't you?”

Sebastian does not like the way she smiles at him. He casts his glower at Richie, who at least has the manners to shrink his small smile by a few molars.

Was it unreasonable to think that Jim's overeager trigger finger would be the only stressful surprise of the day?


	2. Chapter 2

Janey and Richard are competent enough at helping Sebastian get Jim out of the hospital, and set up in the apartment Jim likes best, complete with all the right things which beep and doctors which Janey has personally vetted and give her terrified looks like they know more about her than Sebastian does.

Or perhaps they're just terrified to be working for Moriarty's sister. Treating Moriarty.

Jim doesn't wake, not for days and days and days, and it gives Sebastian the creeps. But if Jim's sleeping, maybe he's healing. Right?

Jim doesn't normally sleep much. Sits up on his laptop whilst Sebastian dreams at his side, or gets out of bed and broods with the piano in the small, dark hours of the nights.

Richie and Janey seem a bit unsettled too, but at least Richard can make a cup of tea and not spill it despite his regularly shaking hands.

The tea is just the way Jim likes it. Sebastian wonders whether Jim likes this tea because of Richard, or whether Richard makes this tea because of Jim.

Not that it really matters.

Richie and Janey seem a bit ill at ease in each other's company. It wasn't immediately apparent because there is an evident bond between them and a shared loyalty towards their shattered, fragile, terrifying brother, but the friction is definitely there.

Richie is mostly a sweet, shy, twitchy little thing which occasionally sparks and spits comments with eyes like coal.

Janey is all precise and practiced movements, neat appearance and cold looks. She has a habit of crossing and uncrossing her long, strong legs, legs like a racehorse, which could kill a man with one kick, and frowns in to space. Prettily.

There's a sharp, cutting edge to her voice which Richard seems used to, although it sometimes gets under his skin, and absolutely puts Sebastian's nose out of joint.

Even if she does pick her words rather like Jim does. Did? Jim has earned Sebastian's acceptance of such sharp comments. Janey fucking hasn't.

She seems to know damn well that Sebastian feels that way, because she purses her pouty lower lip in amusement all the damn time and regards him with sparkling, slightly cruel eyes.

She also has a habit of fidgeting with the chain around her neck. Richie hadn't taken back his ring from Jim's cool hand, so Sebastian hasn't removed his before now.

He slides it off and holds it up for Janey to see. “Do you want this back now?” he asks.

Janey stares at her, her eyes glittering with intelligence. “Not yet,” she says with a strange strain in her voice. She licks her lips. “Might as well wear it until it brings us luck.”

“And it can't bring us luck around your neck?” Sebastian queries dryly.

Janey smirks, not looking at him. “I might be over tolerant of it. I keenly notice it when it is upon your finger instead of my chest.”

Richie has turned a little to watch them quietly.

Sebastian looks at them both, then at Jim, silent as a grave if not for those machines, and pulls the ring back on.

“Are either of you going to tell me what's so special about this thing?”

Janey shrugs. Tilts up her chin as she declares, “Family heirloom.”

“It's a token,” Richie says softly. “From Jimmy.”

Sebastian stares at the aged metal band on his hand. “Token of what?”

“Brotherly affection,” Janey responds in a clipped voice.

“And that brings you luck?” Sebastian questions, not entirely skeptical. Jim was practically Death himself, so if he loved you, maybe that kept you safe.

If you weren't also his sniper and quite happy to be slapped about a bit. A lot.

“He sent it so Jamie would know we were safe,” Richard offers. “And so she knew it was safe to come home.”

“How long have you had it?” Sebastian asks, rubbing the scratches on the metal.

The siblings share strange little dark looks.

“A long time,” Janey offers. She stares at the ring as though despite Richie being more forthcoming, there is definitely part of a story there that they aren't sharing.

Perhaps later.

Sebastian shrugs and shuffles in his seat. Been sitting so long his arse is numb. Perhaps that's why Janey keeps moving her legs.

“Well, since our favourite chap isn't very talkative right now, what else should we yap about?” Sebastian asks. Not certain whether he's trying to make them more comfortable, or maybe provoke them.

Janey gives him an unimpressed look. “Oh Jimmy wouldn't date a _talker_. Really?”

Sebastian gives her a surly look, then catches himself and mutters, “We're not dating.”

“Oh don't give me that coy bullshit like he tries to do,” Janey scoffs, waving her arm. “I don't care what prissy labels you put on things. You work together, you live together, you sleep together. You're dating.”

Sebastian feels his mouth go dry at the candid way Janey mentions his sex life. As though Jim has…

Janey gives him a pitying look. “I've embarrassed you, haven't I? Don't take it to heart; I do it to that soft one there all the time.” She gestures over her shoulder at Richard, who does not argue.

Sebastian takes a deep breath. Rubs his forehead. “Is there anything Jim _didn't_ deign to tell you?”

Janey rests her pointed chin on her hand. Observing him. “Don't fret about it dear: I'm a stickler for details. I like to know things. _Especially_ about my brother's life.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Richie pipes up, “Jimmy likes to tell her private things about _me_ too. He doesn't care about privacy unless it's his own.”

Janey glances at her youngest brother, her lips pursed. “Well yes, but you're the only Moriarty who isn't selfish. You wouldn't understand that.”

“I'm a Brooke,” Richie retorts.

Janey chuckles. “Well there is that. But there's no running from what you are.”

Richie snorts. “I'm the only one of us who can control what we are.”

“No, you just don't have as insatiable a drive,” Janey replies, her eyes dancing. “If you felt like me or Jimmy you wouldn't be able to be this sweet, likable creature.”

Richie rolls his eyes. “Keep telling yourself that Jamie.”

She bares her teeth at him. Amused, but there's a bite of bite behind the surface.

“Can someone explain the Jamie / Janey thing please?” Sebastian says.

Janey turns and narrows her eyes at him. “No we shall not.”

Shy, sweet Richie smirks teasingly. “I'll tell you.”

Janey huffs out an annoyed noise but does not bother to rise out of her chair. “Fine. I'm used to the betrayal.”

Richard gives her a deeply indignant look. “Sorry, do you want to talk about betrayal? Really?”

Janey lolls in her chair, curling her upper lip like an appalled teenager. “Oh, you're still not over that? Let it go kid.”

Richard straightens his back and crosses his arms. “Our mother was superstitious. And religious. Not particularly moral, but religious,” he begins.

Janey huffs and swings both of her legs over the side of her chair.

“Jamie almost died when she was born, and she survived because of an old woman that helped deliver her. So our mother named Jamie after her. Jamilah, properly.”

“Which as you can imagine went down well in a school full of Marys and Catherines,” Janey snaps bitterly.

“So it got shortened to Jamie. Which was still weird, but a bit less… provocative for that sort of area. So obviously that's why James gets called Jimmy or Jim, rather than Jamie.”

Sebastian nods slowly, slightly amused by Janey's agitated body language. He can picture her having her hair pulled in her impoverished, religious neighbourhood and he quite likes it.

“Then Jamie went and let people know how clever she was, and fucked off on a scholarship,” Richie grumbles.

“What, you think I should have stayed? Faced _that_ all the time?” Janey retorts harshly, her teeth bared and her angry eyes wide. Sebastian gets the feeling they're not talking about a bit of bullying anymore.

“You left it for us instead. Thanks, Sis,” Richie says coolly.

“At least there was two of you!” Janey snarls.

“At least you got away,” Richie answers coldly. He turns back to Sebastian as though there has been no break in the story, but his face is tight and upset. “So then, instead of coming back afterwards. Taking us with her, no… Jamie fucks off to America. And her accent's already… useless, and there was a very fitting popular song at the time, and 'Janey' stuck.”

Janey screws up her face and makes a gun with her fingers. Pretends to shoot in the air and sneers in a perfect New York accent, “Janey's got a gun.”

She laughs bitterly to herself.

Sebastian blinks. He knows this song. _What did her Daddy do?_

An ugly silence looms. Both conscious siblings narrowing their eyes bitterly, not willing to acknowledge each other.

Sebastian is almost relieved when Severin lets himself into the heavily guarded flat and drops himself down on the edge of Sebastian's chair.

Janey barely glances at Rinn, but Richie straightens immediately.

Severin gives his employer's twin a nervous look. “Christ, what a face,” he mutters into Sebastian's ear later.

Sebastian laughs when they are alone. “I think he's scarier than Jim. He's so… not Jim. Soft. It's… fucking freaky.”

Severin grins. “I'm scared enough with one Jim. What sort of world deserves two?”

Sebastian can actually laugh at that, because they're not talking as though Jim is… Humpty Dumpty.

Sebastian grabs some beers from the fridge and hands one to Rinn, opening his own with his teeth.

“Jim doesn't like you doing that,” Severin teases.

“Jim is not the boss of me,” Sebastian snaps, but then bites his tongue. Jim's…

“Don't overthink,” Severin says carefully.

Sebastian nods slowly. He's not going to think at all. Jim might as well be a mushroom right now, and he has his twin sitting in vigil beside the bed.

Fucking Janey is touching Jim's piano. Playing Sciabin's Sonata Number Five as though she's as fucking mad as Jim normally is.

It's getting on Sebastian's nerves. He takes the neck out of his bottle swiftly.

Severin keeps his brother company while Sebastian drinks himself stupid, the helps him to bed without a word. The double bed Sebastian normally shares with Jim. It seems better than putting him in the spare room he's banished to when Jim's cross. And besides, there are limited spare rooms. Like hell are either of Jim's siblings sleeping in Jim's usual bed. That's Sebastian's space.

“Rinn?” Sebastian asks softly, his voice rough with drink and stress.

Severin hums attentively, his eyes widening in question.

“Can… can you stay please?” Sebastian asks. “I fucking hate sleeping without him.”

Rinn's face softens. “No problem, bro.” He slides in beside his big brother and absolutely does not think about what his big brother's psychotic lover will say or do if he hears about Rinn being in this bed.

Rinn gets up and gets ready for work in the morning. Has things to do to keep the business ticking over for Sebastian. Tucks the blanket closer around his brother's shoulders, because the poor fucker needs all the sleep he can get.

Rinn does not remotely envy his brother's position. Even though technically, Sebastian was known to be Jim's right hand man, and now that Jim is thought by most people to be dead… Well that leaves Sebastian with rather a lot.

Sebastian doesn't seem to realise the extent of the mess he's now in, too stressed about Jim and agitated by the alien house guests. Poor, poor, incredibly rich bastard.

The first thing Sebastian does upon waking is pad through to where Jim is hooked up to those noisy machines. Every morning Sebastian has to check Jim is still breathing, and hopes to hell Jim will wake up. Tell him he's fine.

Sebastian just about has a heart attack when he sees Janey straddling her brother with a straight razor. 

She straightens her back in surprise, then relaxes and leans down, swishing the blade in a bowl of water at the bedside.

“Oh get over yourself, this is my baby brother,” she snaps, eyes narrowed. “He hates feeling dirty. He won't want stubble when he wakes up.”

Sebastian blinks. That is true.

He surprises himself by asking, “Do you want coffee?”

“Yes. Thank you. And don't you dare wake Richie. He slept in that chair half the night before I sent him to bed.”

Sebastian nods slowly. “Right.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sebastian is relieved when he slips into Jim's new room to find that they are finally alone together. It's not just that Sebastian isn't used to the new personalities around him: he simply wants to curl up beside Jim and try to process the situation, and that has been bloody hard to do with an audience.

Jim still hasn't woken. He's deathly pale, but that's his ordinary pallor, and his dark hair sticks to his forehead a little. The hospital had to shave a lot of the back of Jim's skull (what was left of it) to manage to patch him back together, and when the bandages and draining tube are no longer in use Jim's going to look like a precious hipster.

If he wakes up.

It's hard to look like anything but on the cusp of death when you're in a coma because you deepthroated a revolver with your finger tight on the trigger.

Sebastian pads over to the bed and eases up beside Jim, careful not to as much as breathe on any of the wires.

Jim is unusually still, although he makes a noise that is evidently breathing. Normally Jim is a fretful sleeper, tossing around, kicking the sheets off of the bed (and sometimes kicking Sebastian off of the bed too).

“Come back, will you?” Sebastian mutters, resting his blond head on the crook of his elbow and watching Jim with wistful eyes.

Richie finds Sebastian sleeping in bed with his brutalised brother and feels a little bit awkward for a beat or five. He approaches anyway and tucks the blanket from the foot of the bed over the hulking blond before settling into his usual chair. Watches Jim. Chews his lip and messes his hair. Sniffles a little, although he knows Jim wouldn't like that.

Although Richie wouldn't be sniffling if Jim hadn't scared him so much, so really, fair's fair.

Sebastian is startled upon waking to notice Richie half-drowsing in a chair. The blond sits up quickly, bewildered because he doesn't… Sebastian is not the sort of person who can sleep through a stranger walking into the room.

But then, perhaps subconsciously Sebastian trusts that Richie is half Jim. The soft, sweet, safe half. Which Sebastian had once doubted existed.

Richie stirs at Sebastian's panic. “Y'alright?” he slurs sleepily.

Sebastian nods. Makes to get down from the bed, but Richie shakes his head. “Stay. Maybe it helps.”

Sebastian swallows. He's heard of dogs being brought in to rouse very weak patients. Is that what Sebastian is? Jim's dog?

Richie chews his lip, then decides to be brave. He stands and climbs on to the nearest side of the bed. Jim lying between him and Sebastian.

Richie lies close to Jim but doesn't dare put weight on him. Looks mildly at Sebastian over Jim's chest. “This okay?”

“He's your brother,” Sebastian responds with a shrug.

Richard nods and gives Jim a loving, wounded look. “Mad disaster.”

Sebastian considers. Jim always had a twisted sort of logic. Could show you utter nonsense and make you believe it made perfect sense. Sebastian had always thought that the 'Alice' books were about drug use and an unhealthy interest in little girls, but Jim had been disparaging. Said that, as a mathematician, the books made perfect sense. Were entirely logical.

But then, he often lied.

Sebastian wonders what Jim was like as a child. What the 'Jimmy' Richie grew up with was like.

“Did Jim like the 'Alice in Wonderland' books as a kid?” Sebastian asks Richard. 

Richie blinks at the unanticipated question. “Yeah,” he says softly. “Jimmy wasn't always… Like he tried, you know? Tried to be more like me. Tried to be more like them. But he's not, and he can't help that. The books made sense to him. A kid trying to understand all these nonsense rules and follow meaningless etiquette. Feeling like the only sane one in a circus.” 

Richard's cockney accent is utterly strange to Sebastian. Like one of Jim's characters, rather than the dominant twin's Dublin one. 

“I can't imagine Jim trying to fit in,” Sebastian says. “I've never seen him give a damn about anyone's opinion of him. Other than Sherlock.”

“I suppose you've got me to blame for his being such a convincing liar,” Richie muses, almost in apology. “He'd practice on me. After all, if he could fool his own twin, he could fool anyone.”

Sebastian is quiet as he considers that. Sometimes he felt like he was learning to read Jim. And then Jim would smirk and pull not just the rug out from underneath Sebastian, but the whole damn floor. And do something like blowing a hole in his own damned skull.

Perhaps it gave the demons space to break free.

Meanwhile, Severin has returned from some business to find Janey picking up the shattered remnants of a nondescript mug. Thankfully it's not one of Jim's teacups.

Severin gets on the floor and silently helps the woman.

“Thank you,” she murmurs when the mess is dealt with. “I was going to make a drink. Do you want one?”

“I'll get it,” Severin offers, surprising himself. “You take a seat.”

Janey gives him a look like she can tell he's concerned about her and is uncertain why. She brushes one hand over the inside of her other elbow. “Black will do,” she concedes.

Severin makes tea for them both and hands a cup to Janey. She takes it in both hands as though it isn't scalding and leans into the steam contemplatively.

Severin takes a seat across from her. Waits for his drink to cool.

He's almost surprised when she speaks.

“Your brother will be provided for, by the way,” Janey says, flicking her eyes towards Rinn with a strange sort of look. “If Jim expires. He'll live in comfort. Want for nothing.” 

Severin gives her a disparaging look. “Sebastian doesn't give a damn about comfort and he'll want for Jim every day of his miserable existence. Your brother is a selfish, selfish bastard and mine doesn't need his fucking money.”

Janey raises her brows thoughtfully and sips from her cup.

It bothers Severin and he leaves as soon as he can without making more of a scene.

He checks in on Jim's room, where he anticipates finding Sebastian. Severin is surprised to see the three men in Jim's bed, but when he considers it, it doesn't really seem strange at all.

Rinn gives Sebastian a questioning look. 'You holding up okay?'

Sebastian's eyes don't even flash in indignation at being asked. That's another sign that Sebastian is fragile. Severin and Sebastian often fight like puppies, especially when tensions are high, but not recently. Sebastian is beyond fighting right now, and it worries Rinn.

Richie follows Severin with intelligent, curious eyes. It makes Severin tense.

Janey lets herself into the room and washes her big eyes over Severin as though she's debating whether she enjoys his upset or feels the need to apologise.

Severin turns away. Jim's games are bad enough. He wants no part in this woman's.

“This sight is so sweet I could take a picture,” Janey announces, raking her gaze over Sebastian and the twins.

Richie rolls his eyes, but Sebastian gives her a mistrustful look.

“Don't you think this is a _moment_ Richie?” Janey purrs.

“Don't start,” Richie murmurs.

“Why? _I've_ never known Jim to sleep with someone he didn't kill afterwards. Well, present company asides,” Janey shrugs, but her eyes don't merely linger on Sebastian. 

Richard looks distinctly uncomfortable. 

Oh. 

But then Jim always was a sick fuck. Of course he'd interfere with his sweet little twin.

Sebastian sighs. “Don't pick on him.”

Richie's gaze snaps to the blond, but Janey merely smirks. “Aw, are you protective of Richie now? Does he remind you of your other half?”

Sebastian narrows his eyes a little. “ _Severin_ is my other half,” he responds. “Jim is… whatever he is.”

Rinn feels a little gratified at the comment, but gets distracted by the interested look Richard gives him. It's not surprising. Severin and Sebastian are fraternal twins, and what with Sebastian's larger size, brighter hair, and prominent facial scars, many people mistake them for ordinary brothers.

Except… that's not exactly the look Richard has in his magpie's eyes.

Sebastian does not seem to find Richie unsettling, but then he also doesn't seem to have the same glances directed his way.

Janey clearly agitates Sebastian however. She absolutely has Jim's trick of getting under the blond's skin, making his nerves rattle, and she derives the same sort of pleasure from the unease as her brother would.

As such, it is difficult for Sebastian not to splutter and explode later that day when he finds the uncomfortable thing stabbing into him from the side of the sofa is the bone of a brassiere cup.

He pulls the thing out from the cushions in distaste. He wouldn't mind this from a girlfriend, but she's Jim's sister. Sebastian absolutely does not want to know that Janey Moriarty wears bras that cost as much as Sebastian's suits.

He leaves it over the back of the sofa, hoping she'll collect it and put it away.

It does not disappear for days. The men chose not to mention it.

The longer they all live together it becomes clear that Janey's exasperating habit of leaving her underclothes everywhere is a recurrent one. 

Richie has a habit of apologising every two minutes for absolutely everything, and Rinn leaves his fucking teabags in the sink like he doesn't know Jim would make him _into_ a teabag for the crime, but it's the underwear thing that really grates on Sebastian's nerves.

He and Janey are sitting in the living room one night whilst Richie sits with Jim, half watching some Indie Irish film Janey had put on, when Janey fucking does it again.

Her eyes not leaving the screen, she sighs softly and squirms in her seat, reaching up under her outer clothing to undo the straps of her bra and then unsnapping the fastenings at the back with one slender hand. She pulls the offending item off sleekly and shoves it out of sight down the side of the couch.

“Can you not?” Sebastian protests.

Janey flicks her gaze to him, almost seeming surprised by the attention.“I was uncomfortable,” she explains.

“And now I'm uncomfortable,” Sebastian responds.

Janey curls her lips. “What for?”

Sebastian sighs at her, looking away from the film. “You don't think it's inappropriate to remove your underwear in your brother's home? An apartment full of men?”

Janey gives him a pitying look. “Richie hardly cares and you know better than to touch me. What have I got to worry about?” 

Sebastian swallows. Jim can often be just as much of an uncomfortable tease, but that's different. It's deliberate, and playful. Janey honestly seems perplexed, as though Sebastian is some sort of pitiable misogynist, for feeling ill at ease at the sight of her swollen breasts through her blouse. “Why would you want to?”

“Like I said, I was uncomfortable,” Janey mutters, rubbing at her ribs a little. “I've been wearing the damn thing all day.”

“Your twelve hundred pounds bra doesn't fit comfortably?” 

“Fourteen,” responds Janey, her eyes suddenly glittering as she evidently wonders why he knows so much about women's underwear. She shifts to get comfortable and an expression of pain flashes through her eyes for an instant before being quickly tidied away.

“Are… Are you alright?” Sebastian asks.

“Fine,” Janey mutters. She leans back against the arm of the couch, her bare feet sinking into the gap between the seat cushions as she stares determinedly at the screen.

Sebastian understands he's been dismissed, but notices a flash of red as Janey reaches for a cushion to hold.

“Janey, you're bleeding,” he blurts.

She heaves an uncomfortable sigh as though her ribs ache. “Yes, darling.”

“Are you alright?”

She turns to face him, her expression mostly unreadable but a little bit haughty and a little bit vulnerable. “Sweetie, Jimmy isn't the only criminal in the family, okay?”

Sebastian swings his feet onto the floor in concern. “What happened?”

Janey sighs. “Nothing, I just keep bursting the stitches,” she grumbles. “Can we just watch the film please? I'm exhausted.”

“Sorry,” Sebastian says, and he means it.

She gives him a surprised look, then nods a little and turns back to the television.

Sebastian wonders if her cutting personality is a mixture of pain in addition to the heightened worry and stress of Jim's situation.

But then he hears Richie shouting from Jim's bedside and the thought disappears from Sebastian's mind. He vaults over the back of the couch to respond to the noise, and Janey follow him through the door.

Jim's eyes are open, and he regards Richie with a tired, bright look. He turns as Sebastian and Janey burst in.

Jim can't speak yet, but he gives them a look that Sebastian fancies might just be fond.


	4. Chapter 4

The days in which Jim is silent turn into weeks, and although he is awake, his alertness drifts. For mere instants he seems to have regained his clinical focus, and then it's gone again. He's slack-jawed and glassy-eyed.

It's hard. For everyone. It is agonising to have so much of Jim returned and yet so little. Hopes of his recovery are raised and dashed thousands of times a day and it is exhausting. Jim is loved, but his company is increasingly painful for those at his bedside.

They cope with it in different ways.

Richie tries to coax his twin's attention. He murmurs and pleads and does his best to be a nurturing presence. Most of the looks Jim gives Richard are blank, and Richie does his best to be okay with that.

Janey is cool, talking at Jim about whatever comes into her mind as though he will naturally fall into the conversation when he's ready. When her mouth gets dry she reclines in a chair at the bedside with her thighs crossed over each other, twitching her feet as though she's still wearing heels. Sometimes Jim's dreamy phases make Janey rattle on at length, forcefully filling the gap between them with her strong voice, and other times she falls into softness, wondering if this is some sort of sick kindness. He looks young with the intelligence wiped from his face, but as far back as Janey casts her memory, she cannot remember him ever seeming so still. Even as a toddler he was a frowny, frightened thing.

Sebastian does his best to be patient. He is mostly quiet beside Jim when the others are around, unless Janey is in the mood to bait the loyal hound, but when Sebastian is alone with Jim his reactions are a bit less predictable. 

Sometimes the blond is calm. Patiently awaiting whatever will happen. 

Sometimes Sebastian is anxious, pleading with Jim very quietly to 'just please, please, come back to me.' 

Other times Sebastian is angry, snapping at the blank-faced Moriarty to try to provoke a reaction that never comes, but Sebastian can never bring himself to be too harsh. Jim just looks confused. 

When it's absolutely quiet, Sebastian climbs up to Jim's side and rests his cheek on the pillow beside Jim. The brunet will turn around, blinking interestedly, a trusting warmth on his stupid face, and Sebastian will press his forehead against Jim's. Jim will stroke Sebastian's cheek as though there's something locked in the back of his mind that remembers what they were. What they are, regardless of this… wrinkle.

Severin is unsure how he feels about the new development. He feels sorry for Richie and Janey, but it's Sebastian that he worries about. Vacant Moriarty gives Severin the creeps, and he knows it's upsetting his brother. 

Rinn can't even tell whether Jim knows Severin is avoiding him. It's not smart to glare in case Jim ever gets his wits back, but Rinn can't help but hate the broken man for the harrowed look in Sebastian's eyes.

Yet Rinn is the only one who does not lose his temper with Jim.

It's hard to notice it in Richie as he just draws quieter. The hurt becoming resentment, then resenting being resentful. Hurting.

Janey cries. It is an angry, bitter sort of eruption, and her pacing stops abruptly as her panting tears her stitches. Again. She grips the back of a chair for a while then stalks away to attempt to fix herself back up with shaking hands.

Sebastian gets frustrated. He manages to keep rein on his emotions surprisingly well, but it all falls apart when Jim tries to talk.

Not even baby noises. Just intelligible crap. Sebastian does his best to encourage actual words, actual talking, but it doesn't work. The idiot with Jim's face just babbles.

 _It's not Jim; it's not Jim; it's not Jim!_  

And Sebastian hits him. Shame blooms the instant it happens, but he feels a sort of smug relief too, and feels guilty for that. Angry to be put in this situation too.

Jim's face crumples a little, but he doesn't cry. He should, because although Sebastian did hold back a lot it was still harsh enough to leave a vivid, scarlet print across Jim's face.

Jim huffs and puts his hand on Sebastian's arm. “Gurr.”

Sebastian shakes him off, feeling guilty and annoyed. Glances around to check the impact hasn't made Jim's wounds start bleeding through the bandages.

Jim blinks. “T-”

“Shut up,” Sebastian snaps.

Jim clenches his fists although his face still looks too blank to be angry. He frowns weakly and pushes Sebastian towards the door.

Sebastian laughs darkly. It's actually a relief to see some sort of fight in this innocent-looking changeling.

And then Jim slaps him.

Sebastian blinks, rising his fingers to the sting across his face. It doesn't hurt that much, not at all a slap from Jim Moriarty, but Jim's eyes _flashed_ as he struck Sebastian. Positively flashed with frustration, anger, resentment.

“You're really somewhere in there, huh?” Sebastian murmurs, feeling something unravel into relief in his gut.

Jim gives a single, tight nod, and Sebastian might be imagining it, but he thinks Jim looks miserable. Sebastian reaches a hand out slowly to cup Jim's face. Jim doesn't flinch, just lolls into the contact. Turns his head clumsily to kiss Sebastian's fingers.

“I'm sorry, Jim,” Sebastian apologies.

Jim's eyes flick up like he's actually following the conversation. “Ti… Ti...”

Poor fuck looks exasperated, which is pitiful on this smooth face.

“Seb,” Sebastian commands. “Say 'Seb'; it's easier.” 

Jim gives him what might have been a disparaging look. Jim forces his lips into, “Ti...gurr.”

Sebastian strokes Jim's neck. “Close enough.”

“Ti...grr,” Jim repeats, a bit less disjointedly. “Tig… Ah… Tigurrrr.”

Sebastian pulls Jim's hips close and feels a bit ashamed by how he likes the startled, little lamb look Jim gives in response. Sebastian puts his hands lightly on either side of Jim's cheeks, very careful not to brush the bandages on the back of the abused skull.

Jim blinks, still a little blank-looking but his breathing quickening responsively.

Sebastian bows his head and brushes his lips against Jim's.

Jim slides his arms clumsily around Sebastian's waist and bites.

It's clumsy, clumsy, clumsy, not Jim's finesse at all… but it's Jim. It is.

Meanwhile, Richie remains oblivious to the progress and huddles despondently in his room. 

Severin knocks on the door and Richie scrabbles up, but it's not enough for Rinn not to catch the look on the brunet's face.

“I was gonna ask if you wanted tea,” Severin states. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Richie mumbles, but it's a blatant lie.

“No you're not,” Severin responds warily. Unsure whether he's allowed to argue with Mr Moriarty's brother.

“I'm coping,” Richie protests, wiping at his face with his knuckles.

“Coping and being alright aren't the same,” Rinn states, and he steps into the room, lightly closing the door.

Richie's heart rises a little. He knows his immediate crush on the other Moran is silly, but the company makes him feel better regardless.

Severin crosses the room and clutches his own elbows coolly. He's is nervous about comforting Richie. You don't fraternise with your psycho employer's troubled family.

“You want me to get your sister?” Rinn asks.

Richard shakes his head quickly. “She's worried enough.”

“Want me to stay for a bit?” Rinn asks against his better judgement.

Richie gives a shy nod. “That would be great.”

Severin nods. Stands awkwardly.

“How come you don't talk to me as much as Sebastian does?” Richie asks.

Severin's eyes widen but then he explains wryly, “Because your brother would kill me. Sebastian is a special case.” 

Richie shrugs and says mildly, “My brother is barely more than a vegetable right now; I think he'll give you some slack.” 

“And what about when he's better?” Rinn snorts. 

Richie is glad the way Severin says 'when' over 'if'. He smiles, and Severin doesn't understand it at all.

The moment between Sebastian and Jim is broken as Janey walks in. She freezes at the sight of them embracing.

“Why the fuck is he out of bed? He's not well enough for that!” Janey snarls.

Sebastian blinks, looking at Jim and the machines. Jim has been sitting up and moving around for the past week or so, but he hasn't really been standing.

He'd stood to push Sebastian. Stayed standing to slap him.

Jim _was_ fighting. He wasn't weak at all. He was fire, just choked of oxygen. He was _there_. It's so suddenly evident that Sebastian has to choke back a noise of relief.

Jim peers around Sebastian to give his sister a slightly blank smile. “My,” he says with evident concentration, “Ti-ger.”

Janey puts her hand to her mouth, her eyes suddenly moist and soft in a way Sebastian's never seen.

“Oh, dear clever boy,” Janey praises, crossing the room to kiss his cheek.

Jim closes his eyes acceptingly. “Sssis.”

“I've missed you Jimmy,” Janey confesses warmly. She pulls back the bedsheets. “Now get back in here and don't let me see you on your feet until you're well.”

Jim obeys, looking like his exertions have cost him.

Janey eyes Sebastian. “What are you waiting for, loverboy? _Tiger?_ ”

Sebastian's cheeks turn pink, but he is glad to climb in alongside Jim. Jim, who lolls his head heavily onto Sebastian's chest then winces, as though he hadn't shattered the back of his skull recently.

Of course. Jim Moriarty thinks he's invincible.


	5. Chapter 5

Once Jim starts speaking he doesn't really stop, practising with a tenacity that has Jamie scolding that he'll wear himself out. At first it's mostly basic words, over and over, sounding garbled at first but eventually Jim can slur and lisp his way through three or four syllables without too much difficulty.

He wears out the eardrums of Sebastian, Janey and Richie with his obsessive repetitions, but Jim's words dry up a little whenever Severin appears. It's embarrassing, having an employee see him like this. Weak.

It's different with Sebastian. Sebastian's devotion doesn't come from his paycheck. Not remotely.

As Jim starts to compose sentences properly, not just prompting with a couple of words (“pee, need,” “blanket, cold,” “Jamie, shh,” and such), he also starts to pore over books he has sent a long suffering Sebastian to retrieve. Jim practices ridiculous, big words that Sebastian doubts have any practical use in real life. Words that tame mathematics and astronomy and physics, Jim collects and regurgitates, as though he can use them to regain mastery over the world.

He gets deeply frustrated when he struggles. The books have been thrown angrily so often that the spines are rupturing.

The words don't come easily when Jim is stressed or upset. He can't get them out, or they come out all wrong, an embarrassing jumble that make his cheeks hot and his fists clench.

Sebastian is brave in his devotion, and risks holding Jim still and kissing away the upset despite the dangers involved. Jim's still too weak to lash out enough for it to hurt terribly, but his mind is burning and Sebastian would rather Jim didn't have lots of grievances to store away for retribution when better.

Jim's siblings handle Jim's rage differently. Richie gets upset, even frightened, presumably not because Jim's ire is a new sight to him, but because he realises how devastating Jim's temper can be.

Janey is cool, crossing her arms and giving Jim bored, mocking looks as he rages. She takes away his books, setting them to the side neatly, and orders her brother to calm down. To compose himself. Focus.

She will carry a book over to Jim and sit beside him. They will go over it, slowly, and she is not afraid to snatch the pages away if he goes too fast, gets himself overagitated again.

And Janey will forcefully remove the book from Jim's hands when she determines he is too tired. He will rage for a bit, and she will allow that for a little while, then she will command him to settle down. He will simmer, obedient but defiant, and she will take a firm grip of his elbow and order him under the covers for a rest or nap. Sometimes Jim argues, but he invariably complies. Because Janey's eyes burn with the same fire his do.

As Jim mends he is permitted to leave the bed for the nearby chairs and hobble to the bathroom leaning on someone. He's not quite ready for demanding physio, but the well paid specialists advise relevant massages and exercises to help Jim's muscles from deteriorating too much. Janey and Richard help, but mostly encourage Sebastian to perform the manoeuvres. The blond is evidently desirous of physical contact with Jim, and although the brunet does not outright confess it, it is clear that he appreciates the excuse to be tenderly (and sometimes firmly) touched by Sebastian.

Jim is physically frail, but his cutting tongue is returning, and most of the time his gaze is clever. He has lapses, and he struggles with tiredness and frustration, but there's less of a panicked tightness to his shoulders now. He feels more like a human being than a ghost of himself, and it relieves him even more than it relieves the others.

He wasn't entirely convinced after the incident that he would actually get to this point. He is recovering his mind, and he is indescribably grateful for it. 

Recovering his mind leads to him noticing the looks Richie gives Severin, and Jim narrows his eyes at it. Jim also notices that Janey has been moving around in pain the entire time she's been here, and the pain doesn't seem to be receding.

He decides to deal with that first.

“Jamie,” he says, enjoying shaping the word into a purr and hearing it sound the way he intended. His tongue is starting to obey him again. So long as he stays calm and rests a lot.

Janey tilts her head at the attention, giving him a questioning look.

“Care to explain what's the matter, sister dear?”

She presses her lips together for a moment, then looks up. “Nothing important.”

Jim gives her an unimpressed look. “Seb, my sweet? Be a dear and step outside until I call you back.”

Sebastian glances between them, noting Richie's small body language. Sebastian nods, stating, “She's hurt,” as he steps beyond the door.

Janey's head clips around and she glares at his back. He knows it, too, because she sees heat rise up his bare neck. Good. He better be afraid of her.

But her hand goes to her worst injury in unconscious defensiveness.

“Enough posturing,” Jim declares. “Show me.”

“It can wait, Jimmy,” she replies mildly.

Jim holds up his hands. “I'm not exactly dextrous enough yet to unbutton you myself. Get on with it please.”

Janey sighs, but she starts to unfasten her clothing. “It's not as bad as it looks,” she prefaces, sliding off her blouse and folding it over the arm of her chair.

Jim does not bother to reply.

Jamey removes her camisole and rolls her eyes, her jaw tightening a little, as she unfastens and drops away her bra.

“Fuck,” Richie exclaims in horror.

“She doesn't need to hear that,” Jim cautions his twin. Clever eyes spread over the injuries. “But he's right; that doesn't look healthy.”

Janey heaves a sigh, but it's evident that breathing is not comfortable. Her naval and sides have fresh, little, pink scars; beneath her breastbone is an ugly, ragged mess.

“Skin's too thin here,” Janey explains. “My stitches just keep ripping out and shredding the edges even wider.”

Jim purses his lips and nods. “Forget putting new stitches in. We'll give it a few days to rest and then we'll see what we can glue. But for fuck's sake stop dressing like that.”

Janey glances down at her abused chest. “I can hardly walk around naked until it heals.”

Jim's gaze darkens a little. “I could walk you naked through a room of my men and they'd all know that to touch you would bring them an ugly death.”

Janey curls her lip in amused disgust. “I'd rather you didn't. But in case you haven't noticed, your boyfriend is afraid of my tits and his brother is afraid of the whole package.”

James snorts. “To be fair; they should be. But I pay their wages and permit them to breathe, so if you want to be comfortable they'll have to accept it.”

Janey considers. “Have you got a thick teeshirt I can wear?”

“Something light would brush against you less. But anything of mine would fit you too closely: it'll hurt trying to get it on and off.” Jim ponders. Richie's the same size, and Sebastian's too big. “Richie, will you get Severin to give you one of his teeshirts please?”

Richard blinks. He feels horrified at the thought of asking Severin for an item of his clothing – that's mortifying!

“Is your crush really more important that your sister's wellbeing?” Jim drawls.

Richie's mouth flaps, and Jim gets a deep amount of pleasure at seeing someone _else_ struggle with their words for once.

Richard nervously steels himself and stalks reluctantly from the room.

Janey gives her other brother a mildly amused look. “You're being cruel.”

“'Cruel' would be calling Rinn in here to request a top to cover you and watching him trying not to look at the hole in your chest or your body, and then watching him twitch for the rest of his life wondering when I'm going to hurt him for looking at you.”

Janey snickers softly, but her hand still goes to her raw chest.

“You should have went to Sebastian,” Jim says softly. “When I was still… poorly. He'd have taken care of you.”

Janey shakes her head stiffly. “I only accept help from you.”

“I trust him with my life, and I trust him with yours. If… If I ever do shuffle off of this mortal coil, I want you to know that you can go to him for help. He's loyal.”

Janey looks away but mutters, “If you died by someone else's hands we'd probably both want revenge, so you'd get your wish.”

Jim snorts softly, but he looks tired. He's impressed the words worked. It's the first time Jim hasn't stuttered and stumbled over a difficult topic.

“Get some rest,” Janey says kindly.

“You need enough sleep as well, you know,” Jim murmurs. “Or _that_ will never heal.”

There's a flash of something in her eyes and then she's jumping onto the bed beside him. Her movements are stiff, pained, but the twist of her lips is playful. She curls up against her brother's legs.

“If you hurt my chest in your sleep I will split your tongue and let you relearn how to speak all over again,” she warns.

Jim laughs and drops a hand into his sister's thick, warm hair. His lips move to form a response, but he's asleep before they can fall from his threatened tongue.

“Um… Severin?”

Severin looks up from behind the laptop he has been using to correspond to work emails on behalf of Sebastian on behalf of Jim. Richie's cheeks are pink, and Severin frowns, closing over the lid.

“What's wrong?”

Richard rubs the back of his head nervously, and it's adorable. No. No, it fucking isn't. Severin tightens his jaw.

Richie notices the harshening of Severin's expression and feels even worse. His voice is dry as he states, “Jimmy… um, Jim… he asked me to get something from you.”

Severin puts the closed laptop aside and pulls himself to his feet. “What do you need?”

“You -um! _Your _top. Jim said to get a top from you!” Richie covers his eyes, feeling like putting a gun barrel on his own tongue.__

__Rinn surveys Richard dubiously. “You want… my top?”_ _

__“For Janey!” Richie squeaks._ _

__Severin has been trained not to ask questions, but he cannot help but arch his brow._ _

__“Her normal clothes are rubbing against her stitches, ripping them out or something. We're not much broader than her, and Sebastian's huge, so Jimmy said to get a top from you.”_ _

__Severin purses his lips in bemusement. “Right.” He doesn't keep fresh clothes here, so pulls the clean teeshirt he is wearing over his head._ _

__Richie blinks, and does his absolute best to keep his gaze at eye level. He can feel his cheeks flaming._ _

__The corners of Rinn's lips tug, and then he catches himself and bites down hard on his lower lip. He hands out the bundle of white cotton._ _

__“Anything else?” Severin asks, his eyes glittering._ _

__Richie shakes his head desperately and retreats like a startled bunny with the top. His imagination must be in overdrive, because he could _swear_ that Severin's voice had sounded husky. Teasing._ _

__Severin watches Richard run back to Mr Moriarty's room and close the door heavily. It does something strange to his insides and he absolutely cannot afford that. The boss will have Rinn's balls, or worse, and Sebastian doesn't need that added stress._ _

__Sebastian looks at the hastily closed door and then his topless brother curiously._ _

__Severin sighs and ventures through to his brother's bedroom to borrow a slightly oversized teeshirt._ _

__Richie returns to see both of his siblings asleep on the bed, and quickly pedals back to tell Sebastian there's no need to wait around._ _

__Sebastian rolls his eyes and absently ruffles Richie's hair upon turning to leave. Then freezes. That's just made it really obvious that Sebastian does that to Jim when no one can see them, hasn't it?_ _

__Richie purses his lips at the alarmed look on Sebastian's face, and understands it's not just concern about mixing the identical twins up. Jim hates for people to know of his soft side, and it's amusing to see proof that Jim lets Sebastian treat him softly._ _

__“Secret's safe with me,” Richie drawls, and then he disappears into the room with Severin's teeshirt._ _

__Sebastian remains still for a beat, wondering how he just felt submissive to the adorable runt of the Moriarty litter._ _

__Conditioning. To please a Moriarty. Must be._ _

__Only, Jim doesn't always _like_ having his hair ruffled. Sebastian doesn't know whether Richard ever finds the touch patronising, but he looked happy enough when Sebastian did it there._ _

__Sebastian follows Severin into his bedroom to find out what the others are up to._ _

__Rinn looks rather frazzled as he turns around, and Sebastian frowns. “You alright?”_ _

__Severin runs his hand through his hair. Tries to grin. “Have you noticed how _nothing_ is your own in this place?”_ _

__Sebastian snorts. “Oh yeah.”_ _

__“Beer?” Severin asks._ _

__He's probably stressed half to death, Sebastian muses, having to take over so much running of the business. But Jim will probably want to be involved again soon. Keep him from going mad with boredom in that room whilst he's too frail to move around._ _

__“Sure,” Sebastian agrees, resting a hand warmly on his brother's shoulder._ _

__Jim wakes in the dark to the sound of the Moran brothers laughing. Jim sits up and waits for his eyes to adjust to the gloom._ _

__A burning shoulder blade brushes against him. Janey. She's really warm. Her chest didn't look infected, but Jim quickly touches her forehead and neck. No fever; pulse normal. But she simply radiates heat, like Sebastian does._ _

__Jim had completely forgotten that about her._ _

__She is also sleeping like the dead, which is new. But then, what's she got to be afraid of anymore?_ _

__Jim rubs sleep from his eyes and notices Richie has fallen asleep again in that uncomfortable chair. Jim wonders whether he can lift his twin. Probably not. Too weak still._ _

__That makes Jim feel more than a little pathetic. Richie's tiny._ _

__Jim slips out of bed and carefully shakes Richie's shoulder._ _

__“Jimmy?” Richard murmurs blearily._ _

__“Get into bed,” Jim commands gently. “I don't want you sore in the morning.”_ _

__“'Kay,” Richie agrees sleepily, and melts over into the space Jim has vacated._ _

__Jim smiles. He tucks Richie in in the dark, comfortable knowing no one can see._ _

__The noise from the Moran brothers has dipped, they've probably realised how loud they were being, but Jim can still hear them murmuring drunkenly to each other. He slowly slips over to the door frame, resting heavily against it as Jim eases the door open silently._ _

__The brothers are on the couch, surrounded by bottles, and pressing their foreheads to each other fondly._ _

__Sebastian has his palms around his younger twin's cheeks. “I love you,” he declares._ _

__Severin grins, his eyes crinkling. “I love you too, bro.”_ _

__Jim is pretty sure that shouldn't make him smile fondly, but it does. He watches quietly as the brothers ramble to each other._ _

__Severin eventually gets up to relieve himself, tripping over either bottles or himself, and Sebastian shushes him loudly._ _

__“I'll be for it if you wake Jim up!” he scolds in a loud whisper, snickering a little._ _

__Severin snorts. “He might spank you, Kept Boy, but he'd thrash _me_ ; we're not all his favourites remember.”_ _

__Jim can't resist. “Well that's not entirely true.”_ _

__Both brothers look towards Jim in absolute horror, like little boys caught out by a strict parent. Jim curls his lips in amusement._ _

__Sebastian blurts, “Sorry, we...”_ _

__“...Didn't mean to wake you!” Severin adds._ _

__“I'd gathered that much,” Jim replies, crossing his arms. He needs the doorframe to prop him up, but both large men look at him nervously. Perhaps in their addled states they've forgotten he's not much got the strength for throat-slitting._ _

__Jim sighs. “Severin, if you wet yourself on my floor I will be very cross with you. Off you go, and don't forget to wash your hands.”_ _

__Rinn casts a look at his brother._ _

__“Now, Severin, unless you want to be a sorry little pet.”_ _

__Severin presses his lips together, but then obeys. His bladder is insistent._ _

__“Sebastian, come here,” Jim adds in clipped tones._ _

__The blond looks a little white-faced but obeys at once._ _

__Jim drops the faux glare. “Can you carry me over to the couch?”_ _

__Sebastian almost questions Jim stupidly, but then swiftly recovers and picks the brunet up to do as requested._ _

__“I needn't remind you that if you drop me there will be consequences,” Jim drawls._ _

__“I wouldn't dare, love,” Sebastian whispers, carrying Jim carefully across the room. Jim presses his lips together. He supposes that's allowed, since they're alone._ _

__Severin returns, a little surprised to see Mr Moriarty on Sebastian's lap._ _

__“Water for yourself and your brother, and a beer for me if you boys haven't finished them all,” Jim orders._ _

__“Yes sir,” Rinn agrees, disappearing immediately._ _

__“You don't like beer,” Sebastian utters quietly._ _

__“No, I like whiskey, but beer's weaker, and so am I currently,” Jim states frankly._ _

__“Oh,” Sebastian responds. He kisses Jim's neck absently._ _

__The brunet grins crookedly. “Behave yourself,” he warns mildly._ _

__Severin returns, holding out an unopened bottle._ _

__Jim raises his brows pointedly._ _

__Severin quickly sets everything down and opens the twist cap. “Do you need a glass?”_ _

__Jim's lips quirk and he indicates where Severin had previously been sitting. “Relax and take a seat.”_ _

__Severin stares at the space, which is very close to Sebastian. On top of whom Jim is perched, almost like a girl._ _

__Severin swiftly casts his eyes down and obeys._ _

__“I had a look over things today,” Jim announces._ _

__Both brothers look over nervously._ _

__“You've done well, Severin,” Jim admits._ _

__Relief fills Rinn's face, but Sebastian smiles proudly._ _

__Jim takes a drink, breaking the tension of the moment. He immediately grimaces, and Sebastian cannot help but chuckle softly._ _

__Jim bites his earlobe._ _

__“Sorry, love, sorry,” Sebastian grins. His eyes are soft and fond, and Jim sighs._ _

__“Not in front of your brother for fuck's sake, _love_ ,” he responds, giving Sebastian an abashed look. He turns to give Severin a mild, warning glare._ _

__Rinn looks away. “I heard nothing.”_ _

__“Damn right you heard nothing,” Jim grumbles, but he lets Sebastian nuzzle him as he takes another sip of absolute swill._ _

__“You realise everyone here _knows_ about us, Jim,” Sebastian points out bravely._ _

__“Yes, but that's no reason to go soft,” Jim retorts, tapping his lover's nose. “You let something like that slip out at a meeting and you're dead.”_ _

__“I'm not that stupid,” Sebastian sighs, resting his chin on Jim's head comfortably, then jerking back as he remembers the wound._ _

__“And I'm not fragile,” Jim retorts, pushing his head under Sebastian's neck._ _

__“Bloody stupid though,” Severin says._ _

__Sebastian and Jim look around in astonishment._ _

__A muscle in Rinn's cheek twitches. He knows he should keep his mouth shut, but he can't help it. “You could have _died_ , Boss.”_ _

__“I made a calculated risk,” Jim says coolly. The Morans are surprised to hear an explanation and not threats._ _

__“You really scared me,” Sebastian admits tightly._ _

__“I know,” Jim admits. “I'm sorry for that.”_ _

__Sebastian's eyes widen._ _

__Severin purses his lips. That's a start, but it doesn't take away the hell Sebastian's been through. Or Janey and Richie._ _

__Jim opens his mouth, but then feels his cheeks go hot. He can't get the words out. They're stuck in his throat and he's been stared at. Stupid._ _

__Sebastian rubs the back of Jim's neck. “Take your time,” he says soothingly._ _

__Jim scowls and shakes his head, throwing his face into Sebastian's shoulder. “S'no _point_ ,” Jim mumbles savagely. “'M so _stupid_.”_ _

__Sebastian holds him tight, ignoring Severin's startled expression. “No, James, you're not. Promise.”_ _

__“SIAM!” Jim exclaims into the blond's chest. Yes I am._ _

__Sebastian kisses Jim's neck. “Oi, have you seen the size of the guy you're arguing with? I could squish you,” Sebastian teases mildly. “Don't call my Jim stupid.”_ _

__Jim sniffs. “B'am,” he says miserably. But I am. “ZARD.” It's hard. He breathes deeply. Tries to get control. “I didn't… Didn't think it would be… It's _hard_. I didn't think it would be this hard, Tiger.”_ _

__Sebastian can feel the wetness on his teeshirt. “Baby, not even the great Jim Moriarty can snap his fingers and immediately recover from a bullet through the brain.”_ _

__“But I researched it,” Jim whines._ _

__“You… what?” Sebastian murmurs. Severin is silent, wondering whether he should go. The boss is fucking crying for fuck's sake._ _

__“I did it exactly right, I did,” Jim whimpers. “Bad enough that no one would expect me to survive, but not hitting anything I'd need.”_ _

__“It was a game?” Sebastian asks dangerously softly._ _

__Jim doesn't seem to notice. “S'not a _game_ ,” he sneers. “'Sa plan. Per-perfectly orchestrated.”_ _

__Sebastian already has Jim held tight against his chest. _Perfectly orchestrated._ Sebastian yanks down Jim's pyjama bottoms and smacks the smaller man _hard_. Give the psychotic fuck something to cry about._ _

__Jim cries out in shock and pain, and if he wants to keep any dignity in front of Severin he doesn't show it, squirming and trying to pull away. “That _hurts_ , Sebastian!”_ _

__“That's the _point_ , love,” Sebastian retorts, and he keeps spanking until Jim's cheeks are red and sore. _ _

__Jim sobs, but although he wriggles he doesn't let go of Sebastian's neck. Clinging on with need._ _

__“Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again,” Sebastian warns darkly._ _

__Jim sniffles. “SAID I was s-sorry, Seb-bastian.”_ _

__Sebastian pats Jim's throbbing bottom pointedly. “And now you've been punished, haven't you?”_ _

__“Don't think I've… suffered enough?” Jim mumbles._ _

__“Are you trying to make me crosser with you, Kitten?” Sebastian growls._ _

__Jim whimpers and shakes his head. It's not the threat itself that he's scared of. He's feeling vulnerable, and he can't bear not to have Sebastian's affection right now. Not when everything's so _hard_. Not when he feels so pathetic all the time._ _

__Sebastian relents and squeezes Jim tight. Jim gasps gratefully and clings to him desperately._ _

__“Next time you have another bloody stupid idea you talk to me about it first, got it?” Sebastian warns gruffly._ _

__“'Kay,” Jim says meekly. “...Can your Kitten have a kiss?”_ _

__Amusement colours Sebastian's voice. “He can, but he might want to remember that he is referring to himself as my pet name for him in front of the help.”_ _

__Jim freezes, and feels his face colour. Severin. Severin saw all of that. Fuck._ _

__“Kill me now,” Jim grumbles into the chords Sebastian's neck._ _

__Sebastian swats him quickly, drawing a hiss from Jim's lips. “Don't even joke about it, love,” Sebastian warns._ _

__“Sorry,” Jim pouts, wondering if he can just keep his face pressed into Sebastian for the rest of their lives. He's humiliated._ _

__“Too shy for your kiss now?” Sebastian teases._ _

__“I'm not talking to you any more,” Jim huffs._ _

__Sebastian laughs. “Jim, Rinn won't tell anyone.”_ _

__“That's not the point, Sebastian,” Jim whines. “I'm his boss, it's not...”_ _

__“You're my boss too,” Sebastian reminds him._ _

__“That's… _different_ ,” Jim grumbles._ _

__Severin licks his lips. “I'm much better with a secret than he is anyway. I'll keep my mouth shut, Boss.”_ _

__“I can hear the laughter in your voice,” Jim growls._ _

__“You can cut his tongue out if it makes you feel better,” Sebastian jokes._ _

__Jim sighs. “I can't; he's your brother.”_ _

__Severin's eyes glitter. “Are you saying that gives me carte blanche?”_ _

__“You're not getting to fuck my little brother,” Jim growls._ _

__“I… what?” Rinn squeaks._ _

__Sebastian glances between them both, but before he can question them, he hears an appalled noise from Jim's bedroom._ _

__Richie has retreated in what seems like mortification. Janey smirks from the doorframe in Severin's teeshirt._ _

__“Door was open; we heard Jimmy getting… what he deserved,” she states in amusement._ _

__Jim spins around. “Hey!”_ _

__Janey rolls her eyes. “Relax; it's hardly the first time we've seen you get a red bottom.”_ _

__“But-”_ _

__“Don't even try to tell us you didn't deserve that,” Janey scoffs._ _

__“I hate you all,” Jim huffs._ _

__Janey shakes her head. “You love us, or you wouldn't have gone to all this bother.”_ _

__Sebastian's mouth goes dry. Janey seems to understand Jim's fucking mad plan, and what does that _mean_?_ _

__Jim sighs as though he's unsurprised that Janey has understood. “Of course,” he says reluctantly._ _

__Janey's eyes flick to Sebastian. “You're going to have to explain yourself _Kitten_. That's what you get for fucking the muscle of course.”_ _

__Jim narrows his eyes. “Because fucking clever boys has done such great things for both of us.”_ _

__Janey's hand goes unconsciously to her chest again, but she rolls her eyes. “If he spanks you again once you've explained yourself do _try_ to keep the noise down. I can't sleep when you're crying.”_ _

__Jim glares at her retreating back._ _

__Sebastian prods Jim with a heavy finger. “Explanation. Now.”_ _

__Jim sighs. “I'm _tired_ , Tiger; can't we deal with this later?”_ _

__Sebastian gives him a stern look._ _

__Jim's shoulders drop pathetically. He's too drained to posture._ _

__Sebastian uses the hand he spanked Jim with to lift the blond's chin._ _

__Jim blinks quickly, and gazes at the ring Sebastian hasn't yet taken off of his finger._ _

__That explains why the… incident hurt so much. Maybe it's taken longer for Jim's wits to come back than he realised. (Or perhaps the blond having a ring on his finger isn't too far from what Jim subconsciously pictures their future to look like)._ _

__“Jesus, Sebastian, you deserve better than that. Remind me to sort that for you,” Jim comments._ _

__Sebastian glances down at the ring automatically, then lowers his brows sternly. “Never mind changing the subject. Explanation, now.”_ _

__Jim squirms, pulling down the sleeves of his top nervously as though he's Richie. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and admits, “I was faking my death.”_ _

__Sebastian narrows his eyes. “And you couldn't have done it less messily? Less _dangerously_?”_ _

__“It had to be real. Sherlock would have seen through it otherwise.”_ _

__“Sherlock's dead,” Sebastian points out, realising Jim might not know. “He jumped.”_ _

__Jim presses his lips together. “He might be able to fake as well as I can.”_ _

__Sebastian sighs. “So what made you decide you needed to fake your death?”_ _

__“You,” Jim states, as though even Sebastian should have been able to make that leap. “I'm retiring, Tiger.”_ _

__Sebastian blinks. “You… what?”_ _

__Jim sighs, and casts Severin an uncomfortable look. “Obviously I hadn't planned you ...spanking... me in front of your brother as part of the announcement, but...”_ _

__Sebastian remembers the texts. “You wanted to be able to see your family more. Without them being at risk.”_ _

__“Which includes you,” Jim mutters. “We won't have to hide us.”_ _

__“Apart from hiding that you're _alive_ ,” Sebastian responds._ _

__Jim presses a hand to his forehead, looking at the ceiling. “It might not have been perfect. I was stressed at the time.”_ _

__“Manic,” Sebastian retorts. “You were manic.”_ _

__Jim sighs and pinches his nose. “Yes, Seb, I was… difficult.”_ _

__“I could kill you,” Sebastian grumbles, but he pulls a surprised Jim into a warm embrace._ _

__Jim blinks. “No more hitting me?”_ _

__Sebastian snorts a little sourly. “I might punch you in the mouth when you're better, so shut up and be grateful I'm cuddling you now.”_ _

__“My Prince Charming,” Jim glowers._ _

__“That makes you the princess, Jim,” Sebastian murmurs amusedly._ _

__Jim swipes at him disgustedly. Sebastian laughs, grabbing Jim's chin for a kiss._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really didn't go the way I had expected. So, yeah... Sorry Jim. Kind of.


	6. Chapter 6

Jim wakes in his own bed, curled around Sebastian, dressed in pyjamas and his arse tender. His mind is fogged with just waking and it takes longer than it probably ought to remember: he's not whole. Jim blew his brains out and has a long way to go before he can tell himself that he's once more as he should be.

The realisation makes his breath catch, and suddenly Sebastian is pulling closer, asking whether Jim is in pain.

Jim shakes his head quickly, which is a lie he is swiftly punished for, as he has forgotten that the action, if hearty, makes the scar tissue known as the back of his skull throb and ache.

Sebastian leans over Jim, a large palm brushing his pale cheek, and Jim rolls right into his chest, wrapping his fingers in Sebastian's teeshirt. Sebastian's arms curl tight around Jim's back protectively.

Jim tucks his head just under Sebastian's throat and inhales the man's scent deeply. It's comforting. Grounding. All is not lost, not even close.

“Are you alright, love? You need something?” Sebastian asks.

“Jus'… Jus' nee' you,” Jim slurs into Sebastian's scarred chest.

Sebastian tilts Jim's chin to make the brunet meet his gaze. “You've got me. I'm never going anywhere without you.”

Jim bites his lip, feeling humiliatingly weak, but has to ask. “Promise?”

“I promise, Kitten.”

Jim makes a face. “They _all_ know about that now.”

Amusement tugs at Sebastian's lips but he tries to be sympathetic. “Who cares what they think? Everyone needs a bit of softness.”

“I'm not _supposed_ to have weaknesses, never mind show them,” Jim whispers.

“Our siblings, Jim,” Sebastian reminds him. “You'll get teased, but it won't compromise your safety.”

Jim's lips quirk. “I'd have thought that you'd have been cut by Janey's tongue by now.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Oh, she's something else, isn't she?”

“Do you mind? That my family are here?” Jim questions. “I never asked you.”

Sebastian shakes his head, brushing his finger tips over Jim's skin. “They took some getting used to but I'm glad they were there. It was… hard. It would have been worse doing it alone.”

Jim leans back to meet Sebastian's eyes. “I'm really sorry for making you suffer like that. It was selfish.”

Sebastian sighs. “I'd forgive you anything love. Well, eventually I will. Just… don't do that again, alright? I couldn't take it.”

“I need to run all my plans past you first, remember?” Jim teases softly.

“Oh, so you can actually listen to me?” Sebastian responds.

Jim rolls his eyes. “I'd say it _hit_ home.”

Sebastian's lips curl, but his gaze is soft. “You sore this morning?”

“A bit,” Jim admits.

Sebastian pulls away a little. “Let me see.”

Jim moves a hand protectively to his rear. “Tiger, I don't need a top up.”

Sebastian laughs. “I just want to check you're okay. Kiss you better.”

Jim bites his lips then nods, easing down his bottoms a little clumsily. Still not a lot of strength in his fingers.

Sebastian starts to slide closer, then freezes, examining the exposed skin. “Baby, you're cut.”

Jim smirks wryly and rolls his eyes. “What did you expect, spanking me wearing my father's ring?”

His _father's_ ring? 

“Jim, I'm sorry; I didn't notice; I wouldn't have...”

Jim leans on his elbows. “Relax, love, I've had it bite me much worse than this.”

Sebastian's forehead knots, and then he's kissing certain old scars on Jim's back and making his way down. Licking and kissing Jim's rear until the brunet is quivering.

Jim licks his lips and looks around at Sebastian. “Can we..?”

Sebastian pants a little. They haven't… done anything… since before Jim went up on that rooftop. “Are you up to it?” he asks.

“I dunno,” Jim admits with unusual honesty, “but I _want_ it.”

Sebastian considers for a beat, his hand carefully kneading one of Jim's tender cheeks, listening to how it makes Jim's breathing stutter with pleasure.

“How about I bury my face in here properly, and then I flip you over and finish you?” he suggests, his lips already swollen and red.

“What about you?” Jim responds, pressing into Sebastian's touch.

Sebastian grimaces. “I'm not convinced rattling your head is a good idea, do you?”

“I still have two hands,” Jim mutters, embarrassed at being so fragile.

There's heat in Sebastian's gaze, but he merely replies, “Let's see how much energy you've got once I've finished you, alright love?”

Jim opens his mouth to respond, but Sebastian is quick to get to work, and soon the only noises from Jim's throat are keening. 

The others give the pair knowing looks when they finally leave their bedroom, Jim needing a significant nap before he can do so.

“Somebody's feeling better,” Richie teases mildly.

Jim can't even be bothered to glare, but he flicks his gaze towards his twin with interest. Ah. Richard's feeling brave because he's annoyed about the comment to Severin last night.

Sebastian carries Jim to the furthest side of the couch and sits down, Jim remaining on his lap. “Where's Rinn?” he asks.

“Showering,” Janey responds over her shoulder, still dressed in the man's teeshirt. It takes Sebastian a moment to realise she's cooking breakfast. For all of them, judging by the plates lined up on the counter.

She curls her lip at the attention. “Don't get used to it,” she sniffs.

Sebastian wouldn't dare, but he can feel his mouth watering. He's not hungover as such, but he could definitely do with something to fill his stomach.

Jim makes a face, never really an eater. “Do I have to?” he mutters.

Janey turns around and points a gleaming steel utensil at him. “Yes, baby, you do. By the sounds of it, you have a lot of strength to build back.”

Jim positively glares at Sebastian's snort.

Severin returns, dressed in his brother's joggers and teeshirt, absently towelling his wet hair. He smiles as he inhales and crosses the room towards Janey.

“Maybe you're alright after all,” he purrs, stealing a bit of bacon before Janey can stop him.

She gives him a cool look, crossing her arms, which makes the front of her top twist oddly as it's crusted a little to her body. “You could lose those fingers,” she warns, but her voice isn't as cold as her eyes.

Rinn rolls his eyes, licking grease from the tips. “Well until I do, d'you want a hand?”

Janey shrugs, padding barefoot across the floor to pull an egg carton out of the fridge. She pushes them into Severin's hands.

“Don't get in my way,” she states sweetly.

“No promises,” Severin grins, sneaking out one hand to thieve more food.

She stabs him with a fork, and deftly catches the eggs as he gasps and grasps his wound.

“You're vicious,” he chuckles.

“Runs in the family, shockingly,” she deadpans, and pushes the eggs back against his chest.

Rinn takes them with a grin and wanders to the opposite counter so he can face the others. “How'd you want your eggs, Boss?”

“Poached,” Jim responds, glancing up from Sebastian's chest.

Severin's gaze glitters wickedly. “Wasn't talking to you, Kitten.”

Jim colours. “I can still fire you, you know.”

“Nuh uh, carte blanche you said,” Rinn teases.

“Carte blanche _you_ said,” Jim retorts, but his body language isn't remotely threatening.

Severin winks cheekily then leans agains the counter. “Seb, eggs?”

Sebastian shrugs. “Stop teasing my Kitten. Whatever everyone else wants.”

“I hate you and I'm going to kill you all,” Jim mumbles into Sebastian's chest.

“You love me and I don't doubt you'll be the death of me,” Sebastian murmurs back, pressing soft kisses into Jim's hair.

“Richie?” Severin prompts.

Richard blinks. “Oh, um, whatever Jim wants,” he blurts.

Janey rolls her eyes, turning sausages. “Richie and I will have scrambled,” she asserts.

Severin nods and goes about making a large amount of scrambled eggs. Jim resolves himself to having the same, but when Severin carries his plate over with a wink there are two poached eggs positioned alongside the bacon.

“You may live,” Jim responds snottily.

Severin grins and risks ruffling his employer's hair with his newly freed hand as he passes Sebastian a plate.

“I want him dead,” Jim tells his lover sourly.

Sebastian's lips twitch. “I often feel that way too, but he'll grow on you.”

Jim curls his lip, and watches Janey make space for Severin between her and a slightly pink-cheeked Richie.

“He better not hurt my brother,” Jim grumbles.

Sebastian glances at Richie and Rinn. “They might not be a bad match.”

Jim rolls his eyes. “I don't even want to think about it,” he responds quietly.

Sebastian kisses his nose. “Finish eating.”

Jim does, feeling tired still and barely listening to the conversation between the others. Sebastian places their empty plates on the coffee table before them, which has been cleared of beer bottles by some tidy creature.

“You want a shower?” Sebastian asks Jim softly.

Jim snorts. “Probably a good idea.”

Janey's eyes flick up at them, her hearing superb. “Do try to keep it clean in the shower, boys. Jimmy's got a lot of recovering to do as it is.”

Jim bites his lip, but Sebastian snorts. “Why would I not take advantage of Jim being this uncharacteristically pliant?”

Janey laughs, and Jim punches Sebastian's shoulder, not really minding.

Sebastian grins and lifts Jim, ducking his head close as Jim murmurs, “ _Are_ we gonna fuck in the shower?”

“Love, you can barely stand upright,” Sebastian points out quietly, carrying Jim through. “You're going to have to get some more strength back if you want me to pin you up against the tiles.”

Sebastian kicks the door closed behind them and starts to undress Jim, adding, “And you're going to have to recover a lot if you want to pin _me_ to the wall again.”

“Well isn't that just the motivation I need?” Jim smirks, taking Sebastian's face in his hands for a kiss.

Meanwhile, Richie is gathering up the dishes with Rinn's help and shoving them into the dishwasher.

“So,” Severin begins, his voice low to avoid attracting Janey's attention, “do you want to explain what your brother said to me last night?”

Richie drops a plate into the rack heavier than necessary. He licks his lips nervously. “N-no idea what you're talking about.”

Severin spares Janey a glance, but she doesn't appear to be paying much attention. Severin glides closer and puts a large hand either side of Richard, trapping the smaller man.

“Don't you?” Rinn drawls.

Richie swallows.

Severin leans close and smugly whispers, “Thought so.”

He breezes away, leaving Richard flushed, heart hammering in his chest.

Severin reaches for his jacket. “Janey, I'll grab you some teeshirts when I'm out.”

The woman looks up, tucking hair behind her ear. “Thank you,” she responds, pretending not to catch the look Severin gives her younger brother before leaving.

“Well,” she says to Richard when they are alone, “he's not slow in getting cocky, is he?”

Richie remains behind the counter. “I hate him,” he mumbles.

Janey smirks over the brim of her near empty mug. “You're incredibly bad at lying for an actor.”

Richard sighs. After a beat he raises his eyes warily and mutters, “You think Jimmy'll change his mind?”

Janey snorts and puts her drink on the table. “Darling, I don't think your brother is calling the shots any time soon.”

Richie crosses his arms. “Yeah, but what about when he's better? You don't think he's going to punish the lot of us just for seeing him like this?”

Janey shakes her head. “I don't doubt he'll spit and hiss a bit once he gets his claws back, but… I think he chose to let us see him weak like this.”

Richie snorts. “Maybe, but he didn't plan last night, did he?”

Janey grins. “Surprised he's more like you than he lets on?”

Richard looks inwards, a wicked little grin on his face. “Well no, I knew that part was there, but I didn't expect him to _show_ it.”

“Terribly wicked boys,” Janey says fondly, snatching up her mug and swooping over to put the kettle on again.

“How's tea doing as a replacement for a gun in your hands?” Richie murmurs wryly.

Janey snorts. “The sooner Jimmy's recovered the better. I need to murder something.”

Richie taps just below her clavicle gently. “You need to heal up too you know.”

Janey stretches her arms lightly then takes a step back. She performs a quick flip in the space between them, frowning a little at the pain. “I'm perfectly functional,” she drawls.

Richie rolls his eyes. “It's alright to admit that it hurts, you know.”

“One infirm Moriarty is enough,” Janey responds with a roll of her eyes, reaching into a cupboard for tea. 

Wrapped in towels, Sebastian carries Jim through to their bedroom, giving Jim's siblings a nod of acknowledgement. Jim accepts the help to dress, knowing that's he's never going back to the other bed. This is where he belongs.

Sebastian picks him up again and returns Jim to the couch. “You're heavier than you look,” he teases.

Jim smiles, thinking back to before. When that sort of comment was made as Jim sat on Sebastian's back, making it more strenuous for Sebastian to perform push ups. “I'm not going to let you get porky, love.”

Sebastian snorts. “Thanks, Boss.”

“Go for a run if you like,” Jim suggests, “you must be going mad staring at these walls.”

Sebastian gives him a look. “You don't mind?”

Jim shakes his head. “Janey will help me hobble about if necessary.”

“When do you want me back?” Sebastian asks.

Jim snorts. “Soon as your lungs are burning because you're out of practise.”

Sebastian cuffs him lightly. “I wonder _why_ I'm out of practice.”

Jim rolls his eyes and leans up for a goodbye kiss.

“See you soon love,” Sebastian says softly.

Janey drops down beside Jim when Sebastian leaves, Richard making a tea for Jimmy.

“So,” Janey says.

Jim glowers. “What?”

“You surprised me,” Janey smirks.

Jim sighs and accepts the drink Richie puts in his hands. Trapped by his fawn's legs. “Oh?”

Richie settles beside Jim, blowing quietly on his own hot tea.

Janey gives Jim a teasing look. “I figured the two of you were rough with each other, but I didn't expect you would let him do that to you.”

Jim sighs. “Can we not?”

“You trust him.”

“Evidently.”

Janey's voice is a sing-song. “You looooove him.”

“Yes. Shut up.”

“Sebastian's nice,” Richie pipes up.

Jim makes a face. “ _You_ just like him because he treats me the way I treat you.”

Richard smiles sweetly. “You're in no position to hand me my ass any time soon, poppet.”

Jim takes a sip of his tea, judging the temperature, then pours it in his brother's lap. Very much enjoys the squeal.

The specialists Janey employs eventually agree that Jim is strong enough to attempt more strenuous physical therapy, and _eventually_ his body starts to catch up with his tenacious mind. His movements improve. By December he can hobble around on crutches for limited periods.

He and Sebastian have Christened the shower again. Both ways, although it took a bit of effort.

Richie is permitted to go out (admittedly heavily guarded) and gets decorations, which Jim actually lets him put up without a single word of complaint. Although his nose crinkles a little at the tinsel practically everywhere.

Sebastian merely grins at the novelty and takes a piece of mistletoe from Richie, sticking it above his and Jim's bed.

“Soft-witted heathen,” Jim mutters, but he obeys the tradition whenever prompted.

“Weeeeee're going to have a family Christmassssss,” Richie thrills, dancing about the house in a thick jumper and even thicker socks.

“Child,” Jim responds, rolling his eyes.

Janey shoves Jim lightly, mindful of the crutches. “Leave him alone; he's missed you.”

Jim raises a brow. “I've missed him too, but that's hardly an excuse for this ridiculousness.”

“Yes it is!” Richard responds merrily.

Severin lets himself in, looking frozen, and hiding a blood spatter on his shirt with his scarf. “Thank fuck today's over,” he mutters, pulling off his coat.

He approaches Richie with a bag and a warm look. “Have fun,” he says.

Richie looks down at the bag's contents, then grins and spreads them over the kitchen counter. A very childish gingerbread house kit and various other Christmassy baking goods.

“It's going to be a good Christmas,” the brunet trills happily, washing his hands and setting about ripping open the gingerbread kit immediately.

Severin grins. “You can tell me all about it after.”

Richie's smile shrinks. “You're not staying? What about Sebastian?”

Rinn blinks. “I don't usually. Sebastian stays with Jim and I go visit Jasper.”

Richard swallows, trying not to seem bothered. “Who's Jasper?”

Severin gives him a sympathetic smile. “Our little brother.”

“Oh,” Richie starts.

“Oh,” Rinn repeats teasingly, his eyes sparkling as he retreats to Sebastian's room for some clean clothes.

Janey lightly smacks the back of Severin's head upon his return. He turns and blinks at her in confusion. 

“Don't be ridiculous; we're having an actual family Christmas,” Janey asserts, “the youngest Moran can join us.”

Jim smiles a strange little smile, like that pleases him, and it is the oddest thing that Jim fucking Moriarty, devil amongst men, just wants his kin around for Christmas.

“Jasp doesn't even know that Seb's gay,” Severin points out slowly. “Or that we're… quite so criminal.”

“We're hardly going to take him shooting during the Queen's Speech, and it's about time he knew the other bit,” Janey responds.

Severin flicks his gaze toward Sebastian. “What do you think?”

“I think Jasp spends enough time on Twitter to recognise Jim supposedly dead Moriarty,” Sebastian frowns.

“For God's sake, Tiger, just pull your scary big brother face. Rinn manages to keep the secret just fine,” Jim says.

Sebastian chews his lip. “Rinn's not just a stupid teenager still living off of Daddy's money.”

Jim rolls his eyes. “Sounds like he's smarter than either of you disinherited pair.”

“Fine,” Sebastian sighs. “Rinn, can you sort it?”

Severin snorts. “Meaning you don't have his number?”

“Meaning I don't have the same patience for his juvenile prattle,” Sebastian says with a roll of his eyes.

Severin crosses over to the counter and swipes a taste of batter. Locking eyes with Richard, Severin says, “I suppose you'll have to make some for me now.”

Janey leans close to Jim and Sebastian. “What are the odds they're fucking by Christmas?”

“Three to one?” Jim suggests sourly.

“I'll take that bet,” Sebastian grins, handing Janey a note. Jim drops one of his crutches on Sebastian's toes.

Christmas itself is indeed an actual family Christmas, which is awkward as heck for all involved, but not unwelcome.

Jasper arrives on Christmas Eve, blinking in surprise at all the guards, and then blinking in astonishment at Jim. And Richie.

“You're like an actual ganger's moll,” the dark-haired Moran tells Sebastian in awe, ducking the resulting swipe with practised ease.

“And we know all the best places to bury bodies if you don't keep your mouth firmly shut,” Sebastian grumbles.

Jasper grins and hands his big brother a phone. “Relax, I think I'll be occupied.” He circles Jim and curses. “You really did it then?”

Jim pushes a finger against Jasper's nose while Sebastian tries to process his teenage brother willingly giving up his phone. Jim warns, “If I can point a Beretta at myself don't be under any illusions that I won't point one at you, understood?”

Jasper's eyes sparkle cheekily. “Sure thing, sister-in-law.”

“I am not the woman in this relationship,” Jim spits frostily.

Unfazed, Jasper's eyes swing up to Sebastian. “Is that so, big brother?”

“Santa's not going to bring you _any_ presents,” Sebastian declares coolly.

Jasper laughs, utterly unperturbed, and draws further into the room to wrap his arms around Severin.

“Don't tease them too much,” Rinn warns fondly.

Jasper grins, then freezes as he catches sight of the most beautiful, haughty woman he has ever seen.

“Don't even _think_ about it,” Severin commands.

“Oh, now family is off limits?” Jim sneers, hobbling closer.

Rinn snorts. “Only one of us has fucked the other's brother in the shower, Boss.”

Jasper cackles, and Richie approaches him with festive treats, which the teen devours happily. “I'm Richie and that's my sister Janey,” Richard states, absolutely not making eye contact with Rinn.

Janey blinks at not being called 'Jamie' for once and strokes Richie's hair before snatching up a cookie. She's abandoned business trousers and pencil skirts for a cozy pair of baby blue leggings printed with polar bears and snowflakes, and her long-sleeved white top matches.

She still holds herself like she could kill someone on a whim.

She shakes her head at Jasper's wide-eyed look and reaches over to close his mouth. “I am _much_ too much of a woman for you, child,” she teases.

Jasper swallows.

“He can be quiet after all, who knew?” Sebastian mutters, flopping down on the couch and pulling Jim on top of him. Jim's crutches clatter against the table, but only Jasper looks around, the others used to the noise.

Christmas morning comes quickly, Richard jumping out of bed and knocking on the numerous bedroom doors as he cries, “It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Get out of bed!”

Jasper's laugh can be heard throughout the floor, and he is quickly out of bed and joining Richie, giggling as they hammer on doors together.

“Fuck off! It's five in the morning go back to bed!” Jim snarls.

“Santa's been!” Richard shouts merrily.

“Santa's not real!” Jim retorts.

Richie kicks the door, laughing, and exclaims, “You'll get coal!”

There's a rustling noise and then Sebastian is at the door with narrowed eyes. “Santa's fucking elf here was wrapping presents until four AM because a certain retard has yet to recover his fine motor functions so _fuck off back to bed, kids_.”

“I'm not a retard,” Jim retorts indignantly.

Sebastian turns around and snorts. “Then you can wrap your own fucking presents next year.”

“Did it occur to you that I just liked watching you on all fours swearing at the gift wrap?”

“Christmas is cancelled; he's getting nothing,” Sebastian declares, making to close the door.

“Christmas is not cancelled; I did not get out of bed at this hour for nothing,” Janey grouses, sticking her bare foot in the doorway. “Get up you grinches.”

Sebastian crosses his arms. “Why are you picking on us? I don't see Rinn out of bed either?”

“Richie, go get Severin,” Janey intones.

“No way!” the brunet squeaks.

Jasper laughs. “I'll get him.”

“Jim get _up_ ,” Richard whines.

“Richie, if you don't _shut the fuck up and let me sleep_ I'll order Severin to punish you,” Jim shouts.

“Is that my present?” Richard responds wittily, then the grin falls from his face as he notices Rinn watching him with an interested look in his sleepy eyes.

Richie flushes scarlet and takes a step back.

Severin strides over and steps past Sebastian and Janey to stick his head around the door. “Does that mean I've got permission to put Richard over my knees for making all this racket at this fucking ungodly hour?” he asks.

“Yes!” Jim snarls into his pillow.

Richie's heart jumps into his mouth and he takes another step back, squeaking as Rinn reaches out and snatches the front of his pajama top.

“Wait, no!” Jim cries, sitting up quickly. “ _Don't touch my brother!_ ”

“Make up your mind, Boss,” Rinn responds calmly, not letting go of the wide-eyed Richard.

“Why are you punishing me?” Richie whines, “it was _your_ brother that got you out of bed.”

Severin steps aside a little to offer a view of Jasper, who has a pink mark on his face and is clutching is stomach where Rinn kicked him.

“He already _got_ me,” Jasper responds, but he doesn't seem to mind, grinning happily at the game.

“Jim, get out of bed or you're going to be the sorry boy this morning,” Janey grumbles, pushing the door open.

“I'm sick!” Jim protests.

“No, you're injured, and it's self-inflicted,” Janey responds unsympathetically. “Get. Up. Now.”

Jim sighs, knowing peace will not be recovered. “Fine,” he spits, “someone make me coffee.”

“I'll get it!” Richie cries, trying to tug away from Severin eagerly. Severin doesn't move, tightening his fingers with a strangely dark little growl.

“Odds have changed if you want in on the bet, Jim,” Sebastian says amusedly.

“Fucking -urgh!” Jim snarls. “Where the fuck are my crutches?”

“Probably in there with the presents since I took you to bed last night,” Sebastian points out patiently.

Jasper's lips curl. “Yeah, thanks for that guys.”

Janey snickers. “You get used to it.”

Richie tries to squirm out of Rinn's grasp again. Severin merely rolls his eyes and drags Richard through to the kitchen. “Who all wants coffee?”

“All of us,” Janey snorts. “Except those two. No caffeine for Rich or Jasper.”

“AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO APPRECIATES THAT THERE ARE PRESENTS UNDER OUR TREE?” Richie exclaims.

“Not for you. You get presents last,” Jim tells his twin sourly, allowing Sebastian to help him through to the living area.

“Appreciate Christmas!” Richie pouts.

“Appreciate that you still have your tongue,” Jim responds, dropping onto the couch with an expression of disgust.

“This was your idea,” Sebastian teases, dark lines under his eyes.

Jim huddles close. “Shh. Don't remind me,” he says grumpily.

He brightens marginally as Janey thrusts strong, back coffee into his hands. The others settle around them, Severin tugging Richie onto the space beside him.

“Right, who's dishing out the presents?” Janey asks after she's caffeinated.

“ME-”

“Not you,” Jim scolds his brother. “No Christmas for you.”

Richard pouts, but his stomach squirms when Rinn gives him a dark look and an approving, stern nod.

“I'll do it,” Jasper offers, getting up quickly as though he isn't usually asleep past noon.

Jim pays vague interest as gifts are unwrapped and exclaimed over, but he is very interested in his coffee. And his lack of sleep.

“Umm, 'Tiger'?” Jasper calls out.

Jim stiffens, and the others give Sebastian an amused look. “That would be me,” the blond mutters, reaching out his hand for the small box.

Jasper hands it over, blinking in surprise at the aged ring he hadn't noticed before on his brother's left hand.

Jim bites his lip. “We could, you know, leave that one to the end.”

Sebastian smirks, recognising a ring box when he sees one. “If these are obscene cuff links, love, I'm sure our family have heard worse from us.”

Jim swallows.

“May I?” Sebastian asks.

Jim nods, feeling utterly self-conscious and not nearly caffeinated enough.

Sebastian unwraps the box quietly, and barely breathes as he opens it to expose a fresh, new ring.

“Told you I'd sort you out,” Jim mutters.

Sebastian gives him a slow smile, pulling off Janey's ring and holding out his strangely bare hand pointedly.

Jim takes the box and slides the new ring over Sebastian's finger. They don't look at each other. Sebastian clenches his hand, staring at the ring.

“Well it's about time you made it official,” he mumbles.

Jim snickers quietly, relieved, and rests his head against Sebastian.

Sebastian lifts Jim's chin. “Oh no, you don't get away with this without a kiss,” he says gruffly.

The others are quiet as the men embrace, but once the pair pull apart there is playful cheering.

Sebastian holds out the old ring to Janey. “Your good luck returned.”

Jim turns his head with a bemused smile. “Good luck?”

Janey kisses the ring then returns it to the chain. “Is there a better token of a good omen than patricide?” she comments into her coffee.

Sebastian blinks, but he's quick to understand.

“Technically matricide too,” Richie mutters.

“Well she deserved it,” Janey says firmly. “She did nothing to stop him.”

Severin runs the free hand over his forehead. “Are we really talking about murdering family members on Christmas morning?”

“Well you and Seb killed Dad, didn't you?” Jasper mutters.

Severin and Sebastian look up quickly, simultaneously speaking as they haven't in years, “YOU KNEW?”

“Like you didn't have motives?” Jasper snorts, but then he's reaching around for another present. “Rich- oh, nope, that can wait until last. ...Janey.”

Richard pouts spectacularly, but does eventually get his gifts, after Jasper has laughed himself silly at 'Kitten.' Jim manages not to kill his fiancé but it's a temptation.

The rest of the day passes in relative relaxation, with Jim having taken pity on Sebastian and having ordered in an extravagant amount of Chinese food, which Jasper dives into.

They settle lazily in each other's company, Jasper being humoured so far as to set up his Spotify on the forfeited phone to spread noise through the living area. No one pays much attention to the insipid noise until Janey starts giggling at PlayRadioPlay – I'm Afraid There's A Hole In My Brain. And then suddenly they're all giggling, expelling some of the tension that has permeated the air for so long.

“Christmas is cancelled next year,” Jim huffs, but there is a slight curl to his lips.

“Come on Kitten, 'get a hold of yourself',” Sebastian teases.

Jim gives him a disgusted look. “Stop it, Moran, you're ruining my reputation.” 

Sebastian tilts his chin, playfully defiant. “Then how about you get out of my lap?” 

“...No,” Jim huffs.

The song ends and it seems to prompts the others to pick songs about Jim. Eventually Janey swipes up the phone.

Jim sighs. “Why did I ever think you people were worth retiring for?”

Sebastian cuddles him. “Is someone cranky that he's not murdered anyone in a while?”

Jim gives him a black look. “You're all at the top of the list.”

Sebastian nudges him. “That sounds like grounds for divorce. What does that get me? Half a criminal empire?”

“We're not even married yet,” Jim glowers, but his voice isn't as harsh as it could be.

“I'm not even convinced it's ethical to marry a dead man,” Sebastian muses playfully.

“Technically you already get a third. Since Jimmy's dead on paper,” Richard says. The slight man is still sitting beside Severin, his pajamas no longer being grasped. Instead, they are sitting thigh-to-thigh, their pinkies brushing.

Sebastian blinks and frowns at Jim. “I'm in your will?”

“Of course you're in my will, you idiot. What would have happened to you if I miscalculated?”

Sebastian glowers at the brunet in navy silk pajamas. “You drive me nuts.”

Jim blinks and smiles. “Well likewise, darling.”

Severin startles the others by getting up, clenching his fists, and muttering, “Fuck it.”

He snatches a startled Richard and drags him through to Sebastian and Jim's bedroom.

Jim leaps to his feet, immediately reaching back to Sebastian for support. Steadying himself, he flounders for his crutches and follows. Sebastian and Janey give each other bemused looks and follow the others. Curious, Jasper swipes a piece of gingerbread and joins them all outside the bedroom door.

Severin and Richie are standing very close together on top of the bed, underneath the mistletoe Sebastian had taped there. Richie's eyes are positively shining and his lips are holly red.

“What?” Rinn retorts, squaring his shoulders and tilting up his chin. His arm is still on Richard.

Jim spins back around and retreats churlishly to the couch. “Liquor, now,” he orders Sebastian.

“And you don't mess around with Jim,” sings Janey, the Poison song making her companions grin. 

Jim glares at her for a beat. “Jim gets wrecked in that song,” he protests. 

Janey grins, “And you don't think there's enough of us here to wreck you?”

“I'm burning this damned place to the ground with all of you in it,” Jim threatens, but he's smiling.

Their future is not entirely without its hiccups, but by the time Jim is rid of the crutches he is mostly glad of his dramatic retirement. Except when his kin (Severin and Jasper now his in-laws) see fit to torture him. One by one the others forgive his biggest trespass, and Jim does his best to accept there are now five people in the world who call him Kitten.


End file.
